Thailand is ready to sell its stories to the world. The country’s Creative Economy Agency is set to launch the Bangkok International Content Market 2026 — billed as Thailand’s first international marketplace for film, series and animation — running July 20-22 at Bangkok’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
The market is the centerpiece of Thailand Content Market 2026, a joint effort by the agency, known as CEA, and the Department of International Trade Promotion to draw international buyers and position the country as what officials are calling a “content hub of Asia.” Pitched as a business-to-business and co-production platform, BICM2026 is targeting participation from more than 80 investors and streaming services from around the world.
The launch comes as Thailand presses to convert its screen sector’s rising international profile into an export business, part of a government soft-power drive branded Content Thailand. Streaming investment is a significant part of the picture: Netflix has said it spent some $200 million on Thai content between 2021 and 2024, and the country’s Y-series — Thai boys’ love dramas — have built a devoted overseas following. A Bangkok market also gives Thailand a platform in a crowded regional field that already includes Hong Kong’s Filmart, Singapore’s Asia TV Forum, Tokyo’s TIFFCOM and Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market.
“Bangkok International Content Market 2026 marks a significant step in systematically elevating Thailand’s content marketplace to the international level,” Chakrit Pichyangkul, CEA’s executive director, said in a statement, adding that the agency aims to “transform Thai content and storytelling into sustainable economic value for the country.” Chakrit pointed to the country’s 2020 input-output data showing that every baht invested in content — particularly film and broadcasting — returns about 1.8 baht in economic value.
BICM2026’s central program will be a pitching competition for Asian and Thai storytelling, drawing more than 55 film, series and production-ready projects from Thailand and the wider region, with prizes of at least $20,000. A marketplace floor will host more than 500 exhibitor booths, alongside an industry forum of talks and panels. BICM is part of the larger Thailand Content Market, a trade-department event spanning 12 creative sectors — games, animation, art toys and books among them — that is aiming for more than 300 international buyers and 10,000 attendees this year. The program’s government backing is expected to help it draw participation commitments from global streamers and studios, organizers say.
